We all know the saying: "the customer is always right". While not entirely true, this little quip is spot-on when it comes to defining what value your business delivers.  By value, I mean what it is about your business products, services or offerings that potential customers care about and (ideally) are willing to pay for.   You probably have your own theories about the value you deliver to customers. I'll go out on a limb and say that you're probably wrong. Or at ... Read Full Story

I'm pleased to announce that my own startup, Software Shortlist, has just gone live at www.softwareshortlist.com. It is currently in a public beta mode. SoftwareShortlist helps small businesses find the best software for their needs. How does it work? Well, rather than you scouring the web for information and spending days or weeks assessing whether particular software solutions meet your needs ... now you can quickly build your own customised shortlist of the most relevant software. Soft... Read Full Story

You've finally got that precious moment of attention from a potential investor (or employee, business partner, etc). Now's your chance to excite them about your business venture and get them involved. But you've only got a few seconds to do it. How can you communicate what your startup does, why it is special, and why they should care in such a short space of time? The "elevator pitch" - i.e. the critical few seconds in which you pitch your business - can be a huge stumb... Read Full Story

A friend sent me a great article today called  "The Hi-Res Society" by Paul Graham. For anyone interested in startups, business in general, or where our society is heading, it is well worth reading. Here are a few snippets that caught my attention, plus a few thoughts on each: "...in the late twentieth century something changed. It turned out that economies of scale were not the only force at work. Particularly in technology, the increase in speed one could get from sma... Read Full Story

Yesterday I had the pleasure of hearing Professor Jeffrey Pfeffer speak on "Profiting from Evidence Based Management"."What is that?" you may ask. Put simply, evidence based management is the mindset of striving for fact-based decisions and actions. And I'd contend that it's particularly critical for start-ups! Doesn't everyone use evidence in making decisions? Actually, no! It turns out that fact-based decision-making is surprisingly rare. Most organisations a... Read Full Story

If you are developing a web application, do you build it in-house or outsource to a specialist firm? I've experienced both alternatives so far - RedBubble built their application in-house, and my new venture SoftwareShortlist has outsourced to an overseas developer. Each path has its own advantages and challenges, so which is right for you will depend on your capabilities, resources, and preferences. If you are considering outsourcing your project, here are some tips and advice from our r... Read Full Story

Technology is increasingly integrated with our everyday lives. Whether keeping in touch with friends, listening to music, buying train tickets, looking for a job, or paying our bills – it is almost inevitable that a computerized device, often connected to the internet, is involved in the process. But not all interfaces are equal. We’ve all had experiences as consumers that leave us shaking our heads in disbelief, frustration or confusion. Common examples include programming t... Read Full Story

Startups by definition start from scratch, with little more than an idea and some people. One of the most important assets that they need to build is their brand.  But it's no easy feat to establish a compelling new brand from a standing start. There is a wide range of issues to consider in establishing your startup's brand - so today let's focus on creating a name for your business. In choosing a name, it's worth considering at least the following issues:Impact Function ... Read Full Story

It was great to see Zudio Music take out first prize at the recent Melbourne University Entrepreneurs Challenge (MUEC) with their Band Manager service. Why? Well, there are a few reasons. Firstly, knowing the guys behind it and how much effort they've put in over the years, it's nice to see them earn a bit of kudos. Secondly, because it is a great example of a new business venture doing something fundamentally useful for their target customers. And thirdly because it is a powerful exa... Read Full Story

As someone working on a startup venture in addition to my freelance consulting, I was interested recently to see a 37signals presentation that mentioned the virtues of being a part-time entrepreneur (see the video here). "Surely not!" some of you may be thinking. "If you could get funding and go at it full time, why wouldn't you?"  Well, it turns out that working part-time on a venture has some important advantages:Allows your day job to help fund the startup and... Read Full Story